Paw in Each World
by Zeltra
Summary: Nightstripe feels like she doesn't belong on ThunderClan. When she is given the opportunity to become a loner, kittypet, or worst, a traitor, will she accept, or stay loyal to her Clan? Doesn't she know she can't live with a paw in each world? AU. Nightstripe, Mapletail, and other OCs to come all belong to my friend, Minion, and me.


**A/N: All thanks go to my friend, Lauren (luv ya, Minion! ;p). She got me into this series. Actually, Mapletail and Nightstripe are hers and my – respective – warrior names for ourselves! Dawnflower is another of one her OCs. Although I've only finished the first six books and Firestar's Quest (I know, I'm a terrible person), I'm still in love with the stories in them. This is my first Warriors fic, it is AU, and with any luck, there will be more. In this AU, I will be writing as though the first series was all there is, because that's all I know. Just making that clear. Hope you enjoy!**

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Paw in Each World

Chapter 1

It was in the middle of an unusually cold night in new-leaf. Silverpelt was shining down through the canopy of the ThunderClan camp. A shrill squeal broke through the pristine air.

It was time. Dawnflower was kitting.

Dawnflower gave birth to three kits, two of which survived. The one that didn't was a golden color, like that of her mother. The queen didn't rest for the entire tail-end of the night. Frostfur buried the kit after Dawnflower was tired of mourning.

She looked down at her kits with loving pride. One was mostly an auburn color, like that of leaf-fall trees, except with one white paw and ear. The other was mostly pitch black. It had one stripe out of place, a white steak running down the fur on its right side. The kits nuzzled next to their mother, seeping in her warmth, and started to suckle.

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"Nightkit! Maplekit!"

The small chestnut kit turned and sprinted to her mother, who was lying down inside the nursery. The black one followed, only because she was planning on using her sister's tail for hunting practice. Nightkit ducked low to the ground, the fur on her stomach lightly bristling the hard ground. As she silently sprung and latched on to her sibling's tail with sheathed paws, she heard the dawn patrol stepping back into the camp. She looked over for a split second, then gazed back to Maplekit, who was spinning in circles trying to get her off. Nightkit let go as she started to get nauseous.

"Nightkit!" Dawnflower scorned her daughter calmly. "How many times have I told you; stop pestering your sister!"

Nightkit ducked her head, her ears folding down and her tail slipping between her legs. "I was only playing. My claws weren't even out this time."

Nightkit let out a tired sigh. "Just get in here, you two." Maplekit looked at her sister and stuck her pink tongue out at her. Nightkit returned the gesture.

"Aw, come now, Dawnflower. You can't be so hard on Nightkit. Her posture was magnificent!"

Nightkit turned on her heel to face a leg. As she raised her head to face the taller figure, her eyes followed through a brown pelt.

"Mousefur!" the kit squealed excitedly. "Thank you, Mousefur!"

"You're quite welcome, young one," she replied, grabbing Nightkit by her scruff. She set her down by her mother, Maplekit following and nuzzling her sister with her muzzle.

"Lucky you," she whispered to Nightkit.

Nighkit felt a warm purr come from both her mother and her sister. She smiled, her ears pricking up. "Dawnflower, how many moons until we become apprentices?"

Dawnflower gave a light chuckle. "Only one more moon. Then both of you will become apprentices. Then, after a few moons of training, you will get your warrior names and join Mousefur."

"Maybe Firestar himself could even be one of yours mentor," Mousefur offered. "Or maybe me."

"I call Firestar!" Maplekit squeaked energetically. "Nightkit, you can have Mousefur."

"Maplekit!" Dawnflower scorned her daughter. "You don't get to choose your mentor! Firestar will choose your mentors."

"Aw," Maplekit frowned, then raised her head to the blue sky. "StarClan, please let Firestar be my mentor."

Dawnflower shook her head. "Just grab some fresh-kill. It's time to eat."

"Okay!" the kits chorused. They scrambled over to the pile of mice, voles, squirrels, and various birds. Sandstorm, her pale ginger coat shining in the late sun, was walking from the opposite side of the pile and grabbed a mouse and a fat pigeon.

"Why are you getting two fresh-kill?" Nightkit wondered aloud. Maplekit nudged her shoulder.

"Oh, they're not both for me, Nightkit," Sandstorm said, putting down the food. "One is for Firestar. He's been tired lately, so I thought I'd bring him something to eat. Then I'll come back to the nursery to Leafkit and Squirrelkit."

"Oh," Maplekit answered. "That's nice of you."

Sandstorm let a soft purr escape her. "You know, Firestar told me that he might be interested in being mentor to one of the new apprentices." Her amber eyes glowed with mischief. She then picked up the vole and mouse and walked over to the hollow in Highrock that was Firestar's den. Nightkit jumped in front of her sister, eyes wide.

"We should bring something back for Dawnflower!" she decided.

"Yeah!" Maplekit squeaked back. "She'll be really happy!"

Nightkit pulled a mouse off of the fresh-kill pile and threw it down. She crouched down to the ground, her black fur brushing against the dirt. She snuck up on the dead mouse and pounced, landing on top of it and biting its neck as if to land the final blow.

"Stop messing around, Nightkit," Maplekit nodded to the nursery. "We have to get back." The chestnut kit grabbed a sparrow off of the pile. "We can share that mouse."

"You sound like an apprentice," Nightkit mewed. "That's one moon away. Have some fun!"

Maplekit kept walking, as if she didn't hear her sister. "C'mon."

Nightkit let out a puff. She fell in tow with her sister, resisting the urge to pounce on her tail.

.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the Highrock for a meeting!"

Firestar's voice echoed through the camp. Four new apprentices were to be named. Nightkit, Maplekit, Leafkit, and Squirrelkit walked up behind the Highrock.

"Leafkit, come forward," Firestar meowed strongly.

Leafkit walked up onto Highrock, each pawstep slower than the last. She stood in front of her father. Any cat could have seen the pride in his eyes.

"Leafkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Leafpaw. Your mentor will be Cinderpelt. I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you." Firestar gestured to Cinderpelt to come onto the Highrock, and the medicine cat bounded onto the stone. "Cinderpelt, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Yellowfang, and you have shown yourself to be loyal and wise. You will be the mentor of Leafpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her." Cinderpelt and Leafpaw faced each other and touched noses calmly.

"Leafpaw! Leafpaw!" the cats under Highrock called her new name. Leafpaw glowed with happiness. She loved the idea of being medicine cat.

Squirrelpaw and Maplepaw went through the same ritual. Squirrelpaw's mentor was Dustpelt, and Maplepaw's was Mousefur.

"Nightkit, come forward," Firestar called up the last kit in line. Nightkit stepped up slowly and timidly, shaking in her thick, black coat.

"Nightkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Nightpaw. I will serve as your mentor." Nightpaw felt her eyes widen at her leader's words. "I hope I will serve well and teach you everything I know about the warrior code." Firestar stepped forward to the nervous apprentice. She closed her eyes and shakily touched noses with the orange tom. As she backed away, she heard something she could only dream of hearing.

"Nightpaw! Nightpaw!"

She looked at all the cats on the ground below her. She thought she was being treated by StarClan themselves.


End file.
